Debt Management Review

[Never-In-Doubt]

Re: Debt Management Review

Typed a huge response and lost it! I am quite dumb, but more tired so bear with me!

To avoid that happening (it auto times out) when you come to log-in do it using the little box in the top right corner of the forum page - and tick the little "remember me" box - that doesn't remember your log-in, it remembers the session so will not auto log you out after 5 minutes!

[JulesH]

Re: Debt Management Review

Hi

It's been good to look around your site, your posts are all really helpful and comforting, so thanks.

There is information about each person replying to posts, on the left hand side under their name. What does rep and thanks mean?

[JulesH]

Re: Debt Management Review

Oh and AAD enthusiast?

It looks like you guys are all saying that you can take control of how and who you deal with in debt repayment. Some people are offering as little as £1 and that is being accepted.

To be honest, I found the calls from the bank for the first 6 months quite frightening, had just been through quite a turbulent pregnancy when it all started. I am happy to make the repayments I owe, but after 2 years, I would like to think that my efforts meant that I could manage my own budget. I am (and many of my friends) amazed at my ability to budget and save, I never knew I had it in me which makes me think that in 8 years I will never have to look at credit again.

I don't know if I have the nerve to pursue UE.

Does anyone have any advice on a more realistic debt management company? Or how these people work out the budget maximums?

I'm really grateful

[Never-In-Doubt]

Re: Debt Management Review

Hi

It's been good to look around your site, your posts are all really helpful and comforting, so thanks.

There is information about each person replying to posts, on the left hand side under their name. What does rep and thanks mean?

Its all relative, see attached image - bear in mind some of those features will not apply to you so you'll not see them all! I am admin thus have things normal users won't have! Other than attitude

[JulesH]

Re: Debt Management Review

So I click on Thanks when the post is useful? Or reputation? Or both? I am a dumbass

[Never-In-Doubt]

Re: Debt Management Review

So I click on Thanks when the post is useful? Or reputation? Or both? I am a dumbass

The thanks! A lot of us use it as a record of where we've read upto on a thread, I do that - so i'll thank posts then I remember where I have read up to.....

Its up to you - whatever floats your boat, so to speak

You'll see our smileys are somewhat, ermm - wild

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Debt Management Review

A lot of us use it as a record of where we've read upto on a thread, I do that - so i'll thank posts then I remember where I have read up to.....

Yup exactly what I use them for as well as a general thank you to the poster if the info given was of particular use to me.

[JulesH]

Re: Debt Management Review

I've just been reading your template letters, and am crying laughing. 'Stop pestering me, nonsense'. It's brilliant.

I am talking to my OH at the mo about the different options. It does say on one site that if CCCS ditch me or I them, that my creditors may well start to charge interest again. So before I make a decision I will familiarise myself with the DIY DMP pathway that you have kindly written up and try to find out if there are any other DMP organisations that have a slightly more humane approach - Any ideas gratefully received!!

I must say, I'm quite tempted to say to the reviewer, that my financial situation is unchanged and hope they don't ask for statements. That would give me more time to make a more informed decision about the way forward.

Although telling them that £500 is all they're getting and to leave me alone is quite tempting!! This is my favourite!

[MrsD]

Re: Debt Management Review

Jules

if you think about prices in a calm logical manner for 6 weeks, then come back and tell me what hasn't gone up in the last 6 months????

are you thinking?
have you come up with anything?
No? fancy that!!!

Prices are rising sometimes daily and CCCS have to take this into account, like I said not a bad idea to post up a SOA. You can also claim for some things that perhaps you've not thought of before, for instance haircuts? prescriptions? school stuff (like trips, uniforms etc) honestly I ripped lumps out of the senior person before I left and she was falling over herself to apologise for her colleague's unsympathetic manner, she also assured me that if I tried UE and I still needed a DMP they would be very happy to reinstate mine. Got to be worth a try??

[JulesH]

Re: Debt Management Review

Thanks Evenlessdopey,

As far as haircuts go CCCS allow £32 per month for haircuts. The hairdresser we use charges £30 just for me, reasonable around here, prices for men and children start from £15, that would be £75 every 6 weeks, I can't even be bothered to work out how far over their budget we'd be for that.

Spoken to National Debt Helpline and CCCS today who both say I'm not entitled to put a relative proportion of food budget into school/work lunches. So if your school does not provide lunch, I guess you starve. CCCS pointed out that it is like someone saying well I don't smoke so I'll use the smoking budget for alcohol? I thought food was food?

I've also been told that we are not entitled to a holiday and my creditors can re-start interest if I don't pay all of the pay rise. Left in no uncertain terms that for the next 8 years we will be living on their perception of a budget. And to top it all, if we refuse to pay it all the creditors can take us to court to secure the debt to the house.

CCCS don't even know if our creditors are charging interest? The statements they send us are based on information we supplied 2 years ago and may not even be real?? They said I would need to contact them all?!?!?... Making me a debt manager, no?

Found out last night that the cam belt on the car needs to be done in October so bang goes the Christmas fund.

Not much more I can do until OH gets in.

[JulesH]

Re: Debt Management Review

God I'm a miserable cowThat's better!

[Susie]

Re: Debt Management Review

I'm no expert on DMP's but the CCCS decision sounds very wrong to me. Hope you can get it sorted out or can take over the payments yourself somehow.

[MrsD]

Re: Debt Management Review

OK Jules did you speak to a manager?
Don't take this the wrong way but is your budget outrageous?

frankly, I wouldn't have told them about the payrise.............

and try to remember they are there to help, not condemn you to a miserable existance

[helmsman]

Re: Debt Management Review

Hi,
I was with cccs for 3 years if I coulnt afford all the payment I just sent what I could, they never refused a payment from me and adjusted what they sent to creditors. If I was you I would just send the £500 for the month if you have it and look to self manage.

[JulesH]

Re: Debt Management Review

No Jimmy Choos, no yacht, no dinners at Jamie Olivers, just the same as you guys I'd imagine.

I think what I was looking for was, 'God you've kept up with your payments, you haven't tried to get out of anything, you have an extra £30 from the pay rise to put towards crimbo, car, holiday, you deserve a little something'. Kind of thought that as long as payments didn't reduce and went up that we'd all be OK.

I have spoken to 7 of our creditors myself today. Most said they had no issues and were happy with the way it was all going, only RBS (surprisingly...not) started jumping up and down saying review due on the 25th or the world will end (maybe not quite that dramatic, but 'can't guarantee anything!).

I think from the replies here that CCCS are set up in the creditors interest, despite the creditors being a little more laid back from what I've heard from them today. It also seems that CCCS work from estimates provided by us 2 years ago.

No one I spoke to there could tell me if I was paying interest or how true to life the estimates were. I think we're in charge of sorting that out for our selves with the creditors direct. In that case, I realise that they are initially responsible for contacting creditors to discuss terms and then just to do a yearly review and take and divvy out payments until someone tells them to stop.

In fairness, if my creditors are happy to proceed with me directly and the majority are not being quite as unreasonable as I thought then I may as well grow a pair and sort it out myself.

I think that we went into this panic stricken, believing that they'd come and throw us out on the street and CCCS seemed to be the only one to throw us a lifeline. I guess that the longer you're in a 'relationship' with someone you start to realise that they may have lied a little on their CV! Thanks to you guys I woke up this morning had a good old sob and then got on with calling everyone direct.

I know now that I have options and that dealing I'm with an organisation, despite it being a charity, that probably put the banks best interests first at the cost of any form of realistic family life.

I've read bits about all of your situations and it all seems very familiar. It's all very frightening initially and fairplay to Niddy and you all for trying to reason with them all. I think that despite feeling like scum for getting into this situation, however realistic the intention, it seems like all we're asking to do is to own up and to be treated fairly in trying to sort it out.

It would be great to have a thread about people's feelings X years on from 'the personal crash' to show newbies that you gain perspective through experience. I think it's also really important for all of us to remember that governments and corporations are going through this as well, so it's not just us that stuff up.